We’ve already seen how the hurts and hardships of adolescence shaped and made him stronger, so I know I shouldn’t shield him. But boy, do I wish I could. I want to fold him into my arms and protect him from his own mistakes and others’ opinions and the heartbreak of living in the world. But I can’t, and I won’t.
So we’ll release him out into the world, taking the next big step in the journey of trust that is parenthood.
Hello from our last months as a family of five living under one roof, our last days with a high school senior. I could mourn (And I have cried. Friends, you know I have CRIED.) But I’m choosing to celebrate. To count gifts, to name the things that have made our home happy. So many…
I hadn’t been a mother for very long before realizing that waking up before my children is a necessity for my mental health. I am a morning person, and I don’t function well without a bit of silence (and coffee) before facing the needs and demands of parenthood and life. So nearly every week day…
11 Years ago this month I woke up on a chilly Monday wondering, like so many overdue women before me, if I’d be pregnant forever. 8 hours later I was having an unexpected (unwanted but necessary) C-Section. Please do notice that even in the crazy surprise of that day, I managed to get my bright…
I am so thankful that people are beginning to talk more openly about abuse and harassment occuring in places where there are power differences between men and women. After years of work with college women in the church, I am familiar with stories of abuse, molestation and harassment. Very little that is happening in the…
I live half my life with millennials, so I’m always hearing how hard adulting is, and “I can’t adult today”. Of course I also get a front row seat to watch people grow up and learn to “adult” whether they like it or not (English major alert: I’m finding it super hard to use adult…
I chatted with a friend last week who is pretty sure she is not going to survive middle school with her daughter. As I listened, I found myself thinking and saying, “Isn’t that just the hardest thing about being a parent?” Except there wasn’t just one hardest thing, there were maybe 7, in that one…
I got married and became a mom at the same time, to a 5 year old. For Luke’s first birthday (with me as his mom), I hosted an elaborate Pirate party for all the boys in his kindergarten class. It was at our house and featured an amazing homemade cake that looked like a pirate ship.…
As a follow up to my post Thursday about talking to our kids about sex and their bodies, today I’m sharing a podcast and 2 great books that have been super helpful in teaching our kids about sex and their bodies. booksParentingTalking to kids about sextalking to kids about their bodies
Parenting is a learn-on-the-job adventure, never more so than in figuring out how to talk to your kids about their bodies and sex. Like nearly every girl of my generation, I was handed a book about sex (probably something terrifying like “Growing Up Is Beautiful”) and taught myself how to use tampons by reading the…
Renee Davis Meyer 